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Destination: Croatia

When contemplating a climbing trip from a US mountain town, several important factors come to mind: blue–even turquoise–water, cultural experiences and a European location where the dollar isn’t drowned by the Euro.

San Juan Mountain Majesty

This is my first post on alpinist.com, not that that matters. Anyways, I wanted to post two pictures from a recent trip to the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado, where a group I was with climbed Wetterhorn Peak, one of the 54 14ers in the state. Hopefully these are considered alpinism/mountaineering pics… if not, I hope you enjoy them anyways! Thanks for taking a look.

VIEWS OF ANNAPURNA’S EAST RIB IN DECEMBER 1987

I attempted a winter attempt on the East Rib with a 9 member US/Canadian team in December 1987. Most of the climbing was done by me, Ken Reville and our Sherpa Pemba. We reached about 23,000′ on the East Rib and were turned back by a big storm. At the same time a large Japanese party was climbing the Bonnington Route. The two who made the main summit perished on their descent.

Decades

Alpinist.com’s first surfing film offers a look at the evolution of where surfing came from and where it’s going.

Osprey Talon 33 Backpack: The Latest in Urban Design

I’d had my eye on a new mid-sized daypack for some time, so when I saw the Talon 33 first advertised, I took note. “The Talon 33 is the most versatile pack in its series, meeting the needs of everyone from the expert light and fast backpacker to hardcore do-it-in-a-day alpinists,” read the description on the website. The weight–one pound, 12 ounces–made it an instant contender for alpine climbs, and despite being so light, it sported numerous bells and whistles: hipbelt pockets, ax attachments, helmet pocket in back, sunglasses pocket in the top lid, hydration slot, haul loop, topo pocket inside the top lid, exotic buckles adorning most edges, and some loopy harness system that takes a university degree more advanced than mine to operate. And the design–all swoopy and sleek, with futuristic graphics showcased in colors such as Spicy Chili, Moonlight Blue, and Acid Green–was sexier than anything else on the market. Acid Green! My wife has an Osprey Switch 26 ski pack, and last winter she extolled the intelligence of its design: the top lid holds a ski helmet, an outer pocket houses shovel and skins, there’s place for probe pole and hydration bladder alike. Given her praise of the Switch, and the light weight, features and pure sex appeal of the Talon, I thought I had found my pack.